John Eustace Magic Has Turned Derby's Fortunes Around

10 years after retiring as a footballer with Derby County, John Eustace is well and truly back, making an impact at Pride Park.

Chancing his hand as a manager back in 2016 down in the National League, he then took a four-year break as an assistant coach until returning as the main man in the dugout in 2022.

Now into his fourth permanent managerial job, Eustace is staking his name as one of the best managers in the second tier, and has made a positive impact at each of his sides.

Kidderminster Harriers

The 46-year-old was hired by Kidderminster in April 2016 to take charge of their 2016/17 season on a one-year deal.

He took over a side that had just been relegated from the National League, had their worst season for over 25 years, and was in financial difficulty.

In his first season at the club, his 3-4-3 style of football transformed the club's fortunes and had them second in the league, thus qualifying for the play-offs, of which they were eliminated in the semi-finals.

His influence also led them to the first round of the FA Cup, battling through three qualifying rounds to get to that stage, helping him to earn a contract extension.

In his second and final year at Aggborough Stadium, Kidderminster were yet again in the play-offs and in the FA Cup first round proper once more.

One opposing manager dubbed them the "non-league Barcelona with the way they play", and off Eustace went to Queens Park Rangers as an assistant under former England boss Steve McLaren.

Birmingham City

Having helped QPR avoid relegation during his brief seven-game spell as caretaker manager, he returned to the Midlands in 2022 with Birmingham.

The Blues had finished the 2021/22 season in 20th with 47 points and were knocked out instantly in the FA Cup under Lee Bowyer.

Under Eustace's management, the club finished 2022/23 in 17th with 53 points - their highest tally since 2016 - and reached the fourth round of the cup.

Just two months into the 2023/24 season, he was sensationally dismissed by Birmingham, who were in the play-offs at the time of his departure.

The reasoning was:

"It is essential that the Board of Directors and the football management are fully aligned on the importance of implementing a winning mentality and a culture of ambition across the entire Football Club."

Yet, that is exactly what the next appointment, Wayne Rooney, didn't bring, as they were already down in 20th by the end of 2024 and were relegated in 22nd, even after Rooney was sacked only three months later.

Birmingham City were in the playoffs when they sacked their manager John Eustace and hired Wayne Rooney.

Now they’re relegated. pic.twitter.com/C3YrVen1WO

— Freddy Quinne (@FreddyQuinne) May 4, 2024

Blackburn Rovers

Eustace was only at Blackburn for a year, but the halves of two seasons he managed had a difference like night and day.

He was appointed on 9 February 2024, with Rovers winless dating back to 12 December 2023 in the league and in 18th place.

Immediately, Eustace won his first game by beating Stoke City 3-1 and then suffered just five defeats in the remaining 16 matches to avoid relegation.

The 2024/25 season was much brighter for Blackburn, with them up in the play-off places in February of 2025 - a much greater scenario than that of a year prior.

However, he decided to depart Ewood Park in favour of a relegation fight at Derby, something which he admitted was a risk but felt was better in the long term.

Derby County

Four straight wins in March-April helped overturn three defeats in his first three games to see the Rams out of the relegation zone.

In the end, Derby stayed up on the final day and ended in 19th, one point from the drop - whilst his former club Blackburn missed out on the play-off spot that Eustace had built the foundations for.

18 games into the current season, the Rams are in 10th and only three points off of the playoffs.

They may have lost yesterday to Middlesbrough 2-1; however, leading the side second in the Championship away from home with 15 minutes to play is an indication of their ability to compete with the big boys in the division.

At the end of the season, Derby may well not be back in the Premier League, or even in the play-offs, but there's no doubt that they're heading for their best campaign since Frank Lampard was manager in 2018/19.

Blackburn fans were right about John Eustace 👀 pic.twitter.com/8TeIdu6ZVm

— Second Tier podcast (@secondtierpod) October 18, 2025

All four clubs Eustace has managed have been in a much better place than when he joined, and this is surely not a coincidence now and instead an indication of the magic that he brings to a football club.

If he carries on at this rate, surely it's only a matter of time before he gets a job in the Premier League.